Gettin' trashed, wizard-style.
For a more thrilling Harry Potter update, hold onto your broomsticks: I admit the possibility that I was buried under an extra-large rock when this news dropped last August, but how the eff did I not know that researchers at UC Berkeley have made strides toward creating an INVISIBILITY CLOAK? Why would that not be the leading news story for every outlet in the world? (Instead, no one ever shuts up about this sort of nonsense.)
Anway, dudes, these science fellows and fellowettes have created a light-refracting, metal fishnet material (that's right...fishnets!) that...I dunno, I didn't really understand the paper. Who do you think I am, Hermione? But it makes things refract around the "invisible" object, and it doesn't use much energy. For now, it's best used for nabbing clearer antenna signals (um, who cares?), and because it's metal, it's too fragile to be a proper Invisibility Cloak. (Scientists have been working on this for a while apparently, including peeps at Duke and in Tokyo.)
Diagram of light refraction that somehow induces invisibility. Guy on the right is as confused as I am.
Regardless, in the press release posted on UC Berkeley's own site, Harry Potter is name-checked. Which is kind of awesome in and of itself.
Of course, this begs the obvious question: If you could have one magical skill, spell, or item, what would it be?
Awww! Daniel Radcliffe's head when he was wee!
Invisibility Cloaks are a little "Every Breath You Take"* for me, in that superfun, potential stalker sort of way, though our boy Harry usually manages to use it for noble purposes, rather than, say, spying on girls at sleepovers (hat-tip to Saved by the Bell, y'all).
I may have to think this one over, though having access to the Hogwarts Library (or Honeydukes! Yum!) might do the trick. I already have a wand…maybe I'd like a set of wizard chessmen shouting advice at me and beating each other up…Oh! I know. I want Pigwidgeon. He'll deliver letters for me. And soar around my room, twittering excitedly. He is SO precious. What say you, peanut gallery?
Pigwidgeon!
*Weird-but-awesome economic-geek cover of "Every Breath You Take." Thanks, Columbia Business School! (Nerds.)
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